It's so romantic in Paris
by Looshk
Summary: When Demyx finds out that his long term fiance has been cheating on him, he's heart broken... But when a drunken night leads him to do something completely unexpected, will he seek adventure and see what awaits him or will his fear hold him back?
1. Chapter 1

_I can't believe he would do that to me...  
After everything we've been through...  
All the years we've spent together...  
All the time and effort I'd put into us and he throws me_

He remembered walking into their home, they had spent so much time doing it up together, painting, decorating, picking things out...  
They'd made love on the floor their first night there, in the middle of all of their stuff.  
The excitement had made it electric and they fell asleep on their mattress on the floor...  
When he proposed it was an easy yes and he'd promised he would love him forever...  
He'd started saving to buy a place together immediately.  
Started working longer and longer hours to save for their deposit...  
After all they'd need their own place eventually.

However when he arrived home one night, noise from their bedroom surprised him.  
But trust and comfort led him forward.  
The possibility of his fiance cheating didn't even enter his mind and he walked straight into their bedroom.  
His fiance Xigbar was fucking someone in their bed.  
A range of emotions went through him in less than ten seconds...  
Anger, fear, hurt, rage, shock...  
His body must have cut it off, because a strange sense of calm overcame him and he casally asked them.  
"Having fun?"  
Xigbar turned in fright as did the person he was in bed with...  
"Shall I pop the kettle on?"

Demyx walked back into their living room and started boiling the kettle.  
The man Xigbar was sleeping with pulled on his boxers, he looked fearful as he heard the kettle whistle.  
He shook his head at Xigbar clearly put off by Demyx's calmness.  
"I'm out..."

The blonde man was leaning on the counter with a cup of tea as Xigbar's bit on the side emerged and moved towards the door with his head down.  
He raised his cup of tea to the man leaving his home.  
"Bye now!"

Xigbar knew he was in for it.  
He pulled on his boxer shorts and went out to the kitchen to Demyx.  
"Look... I can explain..."  
Demyx raised his eyebrows sarcastically staring at him.  
"Really?"  
He sat at their kitchen table.  
"Ok then..."  
He motioned for Xigbar to sit down.  
_This should be good...  
_Xigbar paused trying to think quickly.  
"Uh..."  
He laughed humourlessly, Demyx folded his arms sarcastically.  
"That's what I thought... Now you have one hour to get your shit and get out of here."  
"W-What...? Just like that? But what about all the years..."  
"Perhaps you should have thought about that before getting balls deep in... Whatever... One hour."  
He poured the rest of his tea down the sink, grabbed his coat and bag and moved towards the door.  
"Where are you going?"  
Demyx turned towards his soon to be ex fiance.  
"Out. I'll be back in an hour and I expect you to be gone."  
Xigbar looked incredulous.  
"You can't mean that surely...? You can't do that..."  
Demyx smiled sweetly.  
"Well... My name is on the lease and I pay the majority of the rent... So..."  
He cocked his head to one side and turned towards the door.  
"One hour... I'm not kidding."  
He approached Demyx from behind and grabbed his arm.  
"Don't do this... Don't destroy us..."  
He pulled his hand free.  
"You destroyed us when you decided to bring someone else home... And judging by how comfortable he seemed in my bed I don't think it was his first time here..."  
He caught Xigbar's eye and he couldn't meet his gaze.  
"That's what I thought..."  
He removed his engagement ring and placed it on the small wooden side table by the door.  
"Demyx, don't do that come on... Be reasonable."  
The blonde man looked back through a crack in the door.  
"One hour..."  
Then closed it shut on his ex forever.

Demyx went to the elevator and hit the button, he could hear the doors close from somewhere lower in the building.  
His hands were starting to shake with shock and he could feel tears stinging at the corners of his eyes, he tapped the button twice more willing it to come faster.  
Finally the door dinged at his floor and the doors opened.  
He walked into the lift and as the doors shut his former life out, tears began rolling down his cheeks.

Axel ran down the stairs of his house to deal with whoever was assaulting his front door.  
"Okay, okay! I'm coming! Calm down! Jeez..."  
He answered the door angrily at first but quickly calmed down when he saw who was behind it.  
"Demyx? What happened?"  
He ushered his sobbing friend into the living room and sat him down on the couch.  
"Breathe Demyx... Deep breaths..."  
The redhead slowly rubbed his back.  
"You're okay... I'm here..."  
He slowly started catching his breath again.  
"There we go... Do you want anything? A drink, something to eat?"  
Demyx was breathless from sobbing.  
"W-water..."  
Axel nodded.  
"Ok, you stay there, I'll be right back."  
He fetched the bottle of water from the fridge, filled a tall tumbler glass with ice, poured the water in, put some lemon and lime slices in the glass with it, put a twisty straw in and popped a cocktail umberella on the side for good measure.  
He placed this in front of Demyx who immediately laughed despite his red eyes.  
"Is this water or vodka?"  
Axel shrugged.  
"Water, it's all in the presentation!"  
Demyx took a sip and cleared his throat and Axel sat down in the armchair across from him.  
"Are you okay?"  
The blonde nodded slowly then shook his head tears running down his face again.  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
He paused, shrugged then dropped his head into his hands sobbing.  
Axel twigged something different about his hands...  
_His engagement ring is missing...  
_"I don't mean to alarm you but are you aware your engagement ring is gone?"  
Demyx looked up and nodded.  
"What's going on?"  
"Xigbar cheated on me..."  
Axel was wide eyed for a split second.  
"I see..."  
He stood up and grabbed the baseball bat from behind his chair and Demyx took it off him.  
"I appreciate the sentiment... Believe me I do... But the last thing I need right now is my best friend behind bars over him..."  
The redhead nodded and sat down, then shot back up.  
"But what if I jump him in a lane, no baseball bat... I'll just rough him up real..."  
Demyx shook his head.  
"As much as he probably deserves it... I just need you here with me right now... He's currently packing his stuff up as we speak, I told him I'd be back in an hour... But I don't really want to go back tonight..."  
Axel nodded.  
"That's fine, so you'll stay here. We'll have a few drinks, order in some food... Laugh at his workout pics on his instagram. It'll be great!"  
The blonde wiped his eyes and smiled gratefully.  
"That sounds good actually."  
Axel walked out to the kitchen and pulled every spirit he could find out from his cupboards then rubbed his hands together excitedly.  
"Hey Demyx? Do you like cocktails?"  
The blonde cocked his head.  
"Yeah, I have the occasional one, now and then. Do you need a hand?"  
"No no! This is gonna be a surprise!"  
Demyx heard bottles clinking, ice shaking and noises of approval coming from the kitchen.  
"Nearly ready!"  
Axel applied the finishing touches, orange on the side of the glass, an umberella comeplete with a cherry on the stick, a straw and edible glitter, which he stirred into the cocktail to make it sparkle.  
He popped the two drinks on a tray and poured out two shots of tequila, complete with salt and lemon slices on the side and carried it into the living room.  
"I call it the Memory Eraser!"  
Demyx sipped it.  
"Hmmm... Tastes like a Blue Lagoon..."  
Axel rolled his eyes.  
"I was kidding..."

Demyx blinked his eyes open slowly the next morning.  
"Ugh..."  
He blocked his eyes from the light.  
"Fuck... Why is it so bright in here?"  
He opened and closed his mouth several times parched and found a glass on the bedside table with a note on it saying 'for sober Demyx'.  
_Guess I had the good sense to leave myself water... _  
He took a sip and nearly puked mentally cursing his drink self for leaving a full glass of undiluted VODKA next to his bed.  
He cautiously stood up in an attempt not to make his head feel any worse and walked down to the bathroom, he slumped into the bath and turned the shower on sitting down under it's pleasant warmth.  
Axel knocked on the door.  
"Demyx? You ok?"  
"No... I'm fucking dying..."  
"Same... I'm gonna go make us some breakfast ok?"  
"Kay..."

Axel slumped off towards the kitchen in a haze, nearly vomiting at the sight of empty bottles of spirits and wine.  
_Gross... How much did we drink?  
_He started piling bottles off the counter into a black plastic bag.  
_They're gonna think I have a problem at the recycling plant...  
_He lifted the bag of bottles out into his front garden and closed the door.  
_I'll swing by later on...  
_He put the rest of the bottles away trying not to look at them and avoiding the smell like the plague.  
When all the bottles were put away, he wiped down all of the counter tops, his kitchen table, the coffee table in the living room and collected the glasses from the kitchen, the living room and the bedrooms.  
_Jesus we put away a lot last night...  
_He emptied the bins, put the glasses in the dishwasher and washed his hands.  
_There... Now it's livable again.  
_He pulled a skillet out from one of his cupboards and turned on the gas, sleepily he cracked eggs onto the pan and retrieved some bacon from the fridge adding it on with the eggs.

Demyx could smell breakfast cooking from his bedroom where he was getting dressed.  
_I'm starving...  
_He picked up his phone and absent mindedly unlocked it.  
_What's this...?  
_His stomach dropped as he nervously checked his email.  
Axel called Demyx making him almost drop his phone.  
"Grubs up!"  
The blonde made his way to the kitchen and sat himself down Axel placed a plate in front of him.  
"Thanks..."  
He started to eat.  
"Do you remember much of last night?"  
Axel shook his head.  
"I know we didn't leave the house... We ordered a lot of food. That's about all I can remember... But I have no missed calls or angry messages from anyone so I assume we didn't get up to anything too bad..."  
Demyx held his phone out for Axel to see.  
"Do you remember us booking me a trip to Paris?"  
Axel took Demyx's phone and laughed checking over the details.  
"That's awesome!"  
The blonde was less sure.  
"This trip will cost me most of the money I saved for me and..."  
His face became sad.  
The redhead grabbed him by the shoulders.  
"That's all the more reason to go! You've always wanted to see Paris! Drunk Demyx did you a solid, don't let his bravery go to waste by cancelling it!"  
Demyx rested his face in his hands.  
"I don't know... It's a lot of money..."  
Axel shrugged.  
"Look, you have a day or two to think about it before it's final, sleep on it tonight and if you still feel like it's a bad idea tomorrow then cancel it..."  
Demyx nodded munching on a mouthful of toast and egg.  
"I'll think about it..."


	2. Chapter 2

Demyx finished up breakfast and got himself ready to leave Axel's house, he idled in his friends hallway.  
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? To take down the pictures? To make sure he's gone? Whatever you need."  
The blonde looked at the ceiling trying to fight back tears.  
_I should try and handle this by myself...  
_Tears spilled over his cheeks and Axel grabbed his coat.  
"That's it, I'm coming."  
"I'm sorry Axel..."  
The redhead looked at his friend like he was insane.  
"You've just been cheated on and your relationship ended... You need support, there's no shame in that ok?"  
Axel handed him a tissue.  
"You ready?"  
Demyx took the tissue and nodded.  
"Okay."  
He set the alarm on his house and locked the door.

They arrived at Demyx's apartment complex by two o'clock, he looked visibly uncomfortable entering this building again.  
Remembering yesterday and how raw he had felt as he left.  
"I'm not sure... Axel maybe we should just go... What if he's up there with..."  
The redhead steered his friend towards the lift.  
"It's your home and while I get it's hard, you will have to return here at some point... Why should you be the one to run from your home? You did nothing wrong... And if he's up there with anyone he'll fucking regret it, I promise you that."  
The lift dinged open and Axel walked inside.  
"Come on Demyx... It's going to be okay..."  
He walked into the lift after his friend.

Floor after floor went by on the led screen, Demyx could feel his heart pounding as they got nearer to his one.  
"I'm not..."  
Axel put his hand on his friends shoulder.  
"You'll be okay... I'm here... Give me your keys I'll go and check it out first ok?"  
He nodded and handed Axel his keys.  
"I'm not going to let anything bad happen ok?"  
Demyx nodded tears flowing freely down his face.  
The doors dinged open at his floor and they stepped out of the lift, Demyx led Axel to his apartment.  
"You're going to wait here, and I'm going to go inside and check that everything is okay. Ok? Then I'll come get you and we'll go from there alright?"  
"Yeah... Ok..."  
Axel slid the key into the lock and opened the door.  
The curtains were all closed, so he flipped on a lightswitch and looked around the main room.  
It was a little messy, like Xigbar had left in a hurry but nothing was out of place otherwise.  
He stepped forward and heard something crunch underfoot, he lifted up his foot quickly to see a broken picture frame, a picture of the two of them during happier times.  
He picked up the frame and put it on the counter top and cleaned up the glass.

Axel moved into their bedroom.  
This was a good bit messier, drawers were left open, their contents hastily taken out.  
It looked like they'd been robbed.  
_I guess he took Demyx's warning seriously...  
_Axel closed the drawers, and threw any stray clothing that looked like it belonged to Xigbar.  
There were bare patches on shelves, where Xigbar had pictures or possessions and had taken them away in a hurry.  
Axel checked what he presumed was Demyx's side of the closet, it looked untouched.  
He closed Xigbars side did a quick tidy up, took down any pictures he spotted of them together and closed the bedroom door.  
The redhead walked to the front door taking down pictures of them together, he piled them up and put them down next to their TV.  
He approached the front door and popped his head around.  
"Okay, all clear. You coming in?"  
Demyx took a deep breath and walked in, his breath hitched as he noticed all of their pictures were down, there were a lot of empty spaces where their things had stood side by side.  
He let himself fall onto his sofa and cry.

They spent the day turning the place into a more 'Demyx-centric' haven.  
Moving furniture, dumping anything left of Xigbar's.  
Putting their photos away until Demyx had decided if he wanted to keep or dump them, Axel put them well up out of his reach so he couldn't just grab them in a moment of weakness.  
Finally Axel changed the bedsheets...  
He didn't feel it was right for Demyx to have to face possibly soiled bedsheets that his ex had fucked some stranger on.  
The redhead washed his hands as the washing machine whirred to life, getting rid of the last evidence that Xigbar had ever even lived there.  
Axel collasped down onto the couch next to Demyx.  
"You okay?"  
The blonde shook his head.  
"No... But I know it had to be done..."  
He laid his head on Axel's shoulder and the redhead put his arm around him resting his chin on Demyx's head.  
"It'll get easier... I promise..."  
He gently stroked his friends hair until he drifted off to sleep.

Demyx awoke it was still dark outside.  
He checked his phone.  
_2 am...  
_He gently woke Axel who'd fallen asleep sitting up.  
"Uhmmm?"  
He blinked awake.  
"Let's get to bed..."  
Axel too tired to argue, climbed into the bed beside Demyx and settled into a deep sleep.  
The blonde too was so emotionally and physically exhausted he fell straight into a comatose like sleep.

Demyx awoke at 6 am the next morning, he looked over at Axel who was still dead to the world.  
He relaxed back and stared at the ceiling, golden sunbeams spilled through the light curtains and danced across the wall with the light shift of the curtains in the light breeze.  
He thought about his drunken want to go to Paris, he got the flight details up on his phone, they were in a few days, he'd even booked a hotel, it looked big and luxurious.  
He knew work wouldn't have an issue with him taking some holidays off, especially after all of the overtime he'd been working.  
He groaned into his hands.  
_It's so costly... But... I did only save that money for me and Xigbar... But what if... Are you going to take him back after catching him balls deep in another man? No... No I'm not...  
_He looked at the ceiling again blinking drifting back towards sleep and whispered.  
"I guess I'm finally going to see Paris..."

He hazed in and out of sleep for a few hours until Axel got up at 9 am.  
"Good morning sleepy head!"  
The redhead offered Demyx a cup coffee.  
"Oh thanks Axel."  
He closed his eyes taking a sip.  
"Did you sleep ok?"  
The blonde nodded.  
"I think the last couple of days caught up with me, I pretty much fell unconscious. Good thing it happened on a weekend I guess..."  
Axel rolled his eyes.  
"Yes, how considerate of him..."  
Demyx took a deep breath.  
"...I'm gonna go to Paris..."  
The redhead open his eyes wide and grinned.  
"Seriously?"  
He ruffled his friends hair.  
"Way to go! You deserve a break after all this, and who knows..."  
He waggled his eyebrows and put on a terrible French accent.  
"What might happen in the most romantic city in the world!"  
Demyx shoved him.  
"Nothing. That's what will happen. I'm going to get over a guy... Not get under another one..."  
Axel grinned.  
"There's nothing to say that you can't do both."

Axel left before midday.  
"Now look you need anything, anything at all, you call me or text me. Okay?"  
Demyx nodded.  
"You have both sets of house keys?"  
He held them up.  
"You have the number of the local police station?"  
He nodded.  
"You know the number for 911?"  
He half nodded then rolled his eyes and smiled, Axel hugged him tightly.  
"You will be fine... Alright?"  
"Yeah... It's just gonna be hard..."  
"Be good, and if you need me for whatever just call or text alright?"  
"Yeah."  
"Promise?"  
"I promise Axel."  
"Good... I'll you soon."  
The elevator dinged open and with that Axel was gone, Demyx took a deep breath and closed the door of his apartment behind him.

The next few days went by in a haze...  
He just kind of fell through them like a mist, nothing felt quite real or normal, everything seemed to have a slightly dream like quality to it, like he wasn't quite there, wasn't quite present anywhere or in anything he did...  
Work had given him two weeks off without question, he was 'well ahead of his workload' and 'seemed like he needed a break' they'd said, they had no idea.

He drifted until he was standing at the departures gate with Axel when the fear of what he was about to do dragged him back into himself.  
"But how do I know I'm doing the right thing?"  
Axel shrugged.  
"You don't, but you're going somewhere you've always wanted to go... A beautiful city with new sights, sounds, smells, food and most importantly new people. You're not getting the cash back now. So why not just give it a shot and if you hate it that much, you can book an early flight home... I'll pick you up from here."  
Demyx nodded.  
"You're right, I'm just nervous I guess. I just need to go."  
Axel nodded and hugged his friend tightly, then he pulled back and looked in his eyes wiping away a stray tear.  
"Now you're gonna go and have an amazing time and you're gonna come back with a tonne of amazing, scandalous stories to tell me, right?"  
He smiled at Axel.  
"I can try..."  
The redhead nodded.  
"You better go before you miss your flight. Be safe and I'll see you in arrivals when you arrive home ok?"  
Demyx nodded and waved at his friend.  
"See you in two weeks!"  
He took a deep breath scanned his ticket and stepped through the gate into departures.

The airport was busy and buzzy with people.  
He made his way through security quickly and checked the screen for his gate.  
_Gate number... 06Z...  
_He double checked the gate and flight number against his ticket before walking in the direction of where his flight would be boarding.  
His thoughts were rushing like crazy as he walked.  
_I wonder where Xigbar is  
Did he go and stay with the guy he was screwing  
Are they together  
How long was he seeing him behind my back  
Did he ever really love me...?_

He ran into the gents toilets and slammed the cubicle door closed, he sat on the lid of the toilet and took deep breaths.  
_It doesn't matter...  
None of it matters because none of it was your fault.  
_He continued to breathe and dabbed the tears from his eyes with a tissue.  
"I'm okay... I'm okay..."  
One more deep breath and he stood up and left the bathroom and continued on to his gate.

They were already boarding by the time he joined the line.  
"Ticket and passport please?"  
Demyx handed them over.  
"Thank you!"  
He walked down the tunnel towards his plane feeling a mix of panic and excitement as the crowd slowly boarded.  
When it came to his turn the air hostess looked at his ticket and pulled the curtain open for him into first class.  
"Huh?"  
"You're first class sir, you'll find your seat on the left hand side at the very end of the cabin, have a nice flight!"  
Demyx grinned to himself as he walked through first class.  
_I guess drunk me was feeling bougie...  
_He settled into his big comfy seat, feeling pretty pleased with his decision when he was handed a complimentary glass of champagne and giggling to himself wondered how much he'd blown on this flight.


	3. Chapter 3

Demyx tried his best to keep busy on the long flight.  
He watched movies and played games on his Switch in an effort to keep his mind from Xigbar and his infidelity.  
He tapped his pocket, he could feel his engagement ring in there, he had no intention of ever wearing it again, but he couldn't bring himself to leave it behind either...  
He took of the silver chain around his neck and slid it on, then refastened it around his neck and put it under his white t shirt.  
The air hostess came through and handed Demyx another glass of champagne, he could feel himself getting pretty tipsy.  
_Maybe I should get some sleep...  
_He tilted his seat back and unfolded the cosy woolen blanket that had been left under his seat, he popped his headphones in, put on his sleep mask and drifted into a cosy sleep.

He dreamt of Xigbar apologising, begging for forgiveness...  
He forgave him...  
His trust was in need of mending but he dreamt he was willing to do it all for him.  
He put his engagement ring back on, they kissed.  
Xigbar told him he loved him and couldn't live without him...  
Just as their lips were about to meet he was startled awake by the plane hitting the tarmac.

He looked around himself alarmed pulling off his sleep mask, to realise they'd landed.  
The intercom jingle played.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Charles De Gaulle Airport. The local time is 9 am and the current temperature is 11 degrees celsius.  
For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about.  
Cellular phones may only be used once the Fasten Seat Belt sign has been turned off.  
Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight.

If you require assistance, please remain in your seat until all other passengers have disembarked. One of our crew members will then be pleased to assist you.

On behalf of Destiny Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day!"

"Mesdames et Messieurs, bienvenue à l'aéroport Charles De Gaulle. L'heure locale est 9h et la température actuelle est de 11 degrés celsius. Pour votre sécurité et votre confort, restez assis avec votre ceinture de sécurité attachée jusqu'à ce que le commandant de bord éteigne le panneau Attache de ceinture de sécurité. Cela indiquera que nous sommes garés à la porte et que vous pouvez vous déplacer en toute sécurité. Les téléphones cellulaires ne peuvent être utilisés que lorsque le panneau Attacher la ceinture de sécurité a été désactivé. Vérifiez autour de votre siège si vous avez apporté des effets personnels que vous avez éventuellement apportés et soyez prudent lorsque vous ouvrez les coffres à bagages supérieurs, car des objets lourds pourraient s'être déplacés pendant le vol. Si vous avez besoin d'assistance, veuillez rester à votre place jusqu'à ce que tous les autres passagers aient débarqué. Un des membres de notre équipage se fera alors un plaisir de vous aider. Au nom de Destiny Airlines et de l'ensemble de l'équipage, je voudrais vous remercier de votre participation à ce voyage et nous espérons vous revoir bientôt. Bonne journée!"

Demyx stretched his arms out and got up once the fasten seatbelt light had been turned off. An air hostess fetched his bag for him and wished him a pleasant stay.  
He walked through the plane and off into the tunnel attaching the plane to the airport, stepping aside to let people pass him as he turned his phone back on.  
He popped his phone into his pocket and walked towards baggage claim, he looked around himself as he went listening to conversations taking place around him in French...  
The blonde sighed dreamily, he had no idea what they were saying, but damn if he didn't love the sound of it.

His phone buzzing alerted him back to reality, he pulled it from his pocket and answered it.  
"Hey Axel!"  
"Hey! You landed safe?"  
"I did, I'm just in the airport now walking to baggage claim. I'm beat, it was a long flight, but i did manage to get a few hours sleep so that's something."  
Axel nodded sleepily.  
"I'm glad you're safe, have fun okay? I'm going back to sleep. It's 3 am here but I just wanted to check you were okay!"  
"Thanks Axel, sleep well!"  
"Bye!"  
He hung up, but there a message from a weird number on his phone.  
_Huh?  
_**Bonjour, bienvenue à Paris! J'attends dans les arrivées pour vous chaque fois que vous êtes prêt! Je m'appelle Zexion et je serai votre guide pour les deux prochaines semaines!  
**Demyx looked at his phone confused and quickly got up google translate.  
**Je suis désolé je ne parle pas beaucoup français.**

His phone beeped again.  
**Sorry, force of habit, welcome to Paris. I'm Zexion, your guide for your stay here. I'm waiting in arrivals for you whenever you're ready. Take your time.**

Demyx looked at his phone blankly.  
_I got myself a guide for the two weeks?  
_He laughed to himself looking over the message again.  
_Drunk Demyx doesn't half ass things...  
_He strolled towards baggage collection, looking at the signs in French and English trying to pick up a few basic words.  
_So bathroom is toilette or salle de bains, exit is sortie, I know hello is bonjour or salut and thank you is merci.  
_He approached the conveyor belt and waited for his bag to appear.  
His mind was drifting and his hand gripped the ring on his necklace absent mindedly.  
_I wonder what... No. Stop thinking of him... You are done. He cheated on you, he decided through his actions that you are over... There is no going back...  
_He nodded in agreement with this thought as his bright blue bag rounded the corner of the conveyor belt.  
Demyx pulled it off and walked out the automatic doors to arrivals.

He scanned the crowd for his name and his eyes came to a stop on a man not much shorter than himself.  
His hair was a mixed grey blue colour, it was cut into an intricate style with a side fringe that covered one eye.  
_Wow... I hope all the guys here are THAT hot..._  
He looked back and forth looking for someone, Demyx looked down to his sign out of curiosity and realised with excitement and horror that this was his guide.  
_Oh my God...  
_Zexion's eyes met his gaze and a feeling like lightning shot through him.  
He smiled and pointed playfully at his sign cocking his head.  
Demyx nodded feeling stupid and dumbfounded as Zexion walked forward and grabbed his hand in a handshake then pulled him forward and kissed both of his cheeks.  
"Bienvenue à paris mon ami!"  
The blonde flushed and pulled his hand free quickly looking down at his shoes wide eyed, Zexion balked at his reaction.  
"Uhm... Are you ok?"  
He looked up still red faced.  
"Are... Are you that friendly with everyone?"  
Zexion was straight faced for a moment.  
"Well... Yeah actually... I mean it's Paris... That's how we say hello around here..."  
Demyx paled wondering if he was ready to be that physically friendly with complete strangers, when Zexion started laughing.  
"Je blague! Je blague! I'm joking!"  
The blondes shoulders sagged in relief.  
"You Americans are so... cute."  
Zexion caught his eyes for a moment too long before grabbing his case.  
"Okay, you have everything?"  
The blonde nodded.  
"Great, let's get going!"

They walked towards the car with Zexion wheeling Demyx's case.  
"So we're not too far from Paris... You should be at your hotel in roughly an hour."  
He pulled the case to his car and popped open the car boot, Demyx ran to help him get the heavy case into the trunk, but he lifted it in with ease and closed it.  
_He's stronger than he looks...  
_He found his eyes tracing Zexion's frame wondering what might lie under those...  
"Hop in!"  
Demyx popped out of his daydream like he'd been caught doing something bad.  
"What?!"  
The blue haired man eyed him oddly for a moment.  
"Hop in?"  
The blonde shook his head feeling stupid desperately trying to grasp at his memories of French class in high school.  
"Sorry, uhm... Je suis derriere l'avion..."  
Zexion looked at him funny.  
"You're behind the plane...? What... Oh you're jet lagged."  
He nodded.  
"Sorry my French is, basically non existent."  
The grey haired man pushed his hair back from his face giving Demyx his first full view, he grinned across at him.  
"Good thing I'm here then!"  
He revved the car to life and screeched the car out of their space shouting unknown obscenities at the driver behind them.

"So what brings you to Paris?"  
Demyx shrugged nonchalantly keeping himself carefully in check with each word he said.  
"I've always wanted to come here. I decided seeing as I'd been working so much overtime lately that I'd come and see the place."  
Zexion weighed up his words carefully.  
"So just a leisure holiday... Solo... To the most romantic city in the world?"  
The blonde gulped.  
_He's onto me...  
_"Admirable... Braver than a lot of other people who come here... You have no idea how many people come here all romantic, like cannot bear to be alone here... I love my job and I love this city, but some people love to make you feel like a third wheel you know?"  
Demyx nodded his thoughts creeping back to Xigbar. _  
_"Yeah... Nothing worse."  
He looked over at Demyx smiling.  
"Right? So if you look straight ahead you'll see we're about to drive around the 'Arc De Triomphe'." Demyx sat up and looked straight ahead.  
"Wow..."  
Zexion smiled.  
"Welcome to Paris my friend..."


	4. Chapter 4

The drive to the hotel was full of beautiful sights, including the beautiful sight driving him to his hotel.  
Demyx found himself trying not to stare as his companion brushed his hair out of his face, driving one handed, smiling, pointing, laughing, and detailing all of the beautiful things to see in his city.  
An undoubtedly proud Parisian, effortlessly stylish and confident.  
But hot headed, Demyx felt himself getting hot under the collar when he spoke French.  
Even the obscenities he shouted at other drivers had his thoughts going places he knew they should not go.  
He inwardly shrugged to himself.  
_It's not like I'm seeing anyone.  
_His shoulders slumped at the thought.  
_Years wasted just like that…  
_Zexion shot him a sideways glance noticing a change in his demeanour.  
'Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?'  
Demyx's head shot up realising, he plastered on a light smile.  
'I'm fine, just a little sleepy from the flight is all…'  
He stared across at the blonde for a moment too long and Demyx shifted his gaze out of the window.  
_Hmmm… _

The tires screeched to a halt and they parked in front of a beautiful building with large black gates and Zexion whistled and regarded Demyx with playful suspicion.  
'You a millionaire or something?'  
The blonde blushed.  
'No… I had a lot of money saved. I-I wanted to make this trip one to remember.'  
He nodded satisfied.  
'Oh, you won't forget the Shangri-La! It's a big hit with celebrities who visit.'  
He exaggeratedly looked back and forth before whispering in Demyx's ear.  
'If you're a prince or royalty or something your secret is safe with me.'  
His hair stood on end at the breathy whisper.  
Zexion winked before pulling the suitcase out of the back of the car and rolling it towards the front door he turned and regarded Demyx with a puzzled look.  
'Well are you coming?'  
_I need a cold shower…  
_  
Zexion walked across the marbled floor of the lobby shoes clicking with every step. He approached the desk with confidence and offered a hearty 'bonjour' to the receptionist before babbling a whole bunch of details he didn't quite catch.  
Before he could even take the full luxurious lobby in there was a key card in his hand a polite 'merci' and Zexion was pulling his suitcase towards the lift.  
The lift dinged cheerily, and they were on their way to his bedroom.  
Demyx licked his lips unconsciously at the thought and Zexion smiled at him.  
'Thirsty?'  
Demyx almost choked.  
'What?'  
_Oh. My. God.  
_He cocked his head.  
'Do you need something to drink? It's quite warm in here.'  
The blonde froze thinking he had been caught.  
'It is… Yeah…'  
Zexion laughed.  
'You don't need to be so shy around me you know? We are going to be spending a lot of time together over the next two weeks. You'll warm up to me I'm sure!'  
He grinned up at Demyx his hair falling back from his face.  
He stared at that handsome face, that cocky grin and the door dinged on his floor.  
Zexion pulled his bag out and led him to his room, his shoes clicking on the chequered tiles.  
'Here we are!'  
Demyx pushed the key card into the door and slowly pushed it open and smiled.  
A large white bed greeted him, antique furniture and the balcony had a view of the Eiffel Tower.  
He gasped at the view in awe.  
'Wow…'  
Zexion pushed his case into the room and smiled.  
'Beautiful isn't it?'  
Demyx nodded speechless.  
'Shall I leave you to get settled in for a bit?'  
The blonde didn't want to be alone here in this beautiful room, but he wasn't going to spill his guts to his guide.  
'Yeah, I'll get settled in…'  
His guide nodded, and his spirits fell as he realised that he probably wouldn't be seeing much of his guide after all.  
'Fantastic I'll give you a few hours to get yourself sorted out. Take a shower, get changed, maybe take a nap and then we'll meet for lunch?'  
He looked over at Zexion surprised.  
'Lunch?'  
He nodded.  
'Yeah, you can't experience Paris without trying the food.'  
Demyx nodded.  
'That sounds wonderful.'  
'Great! Give me a call when you're ready and I'll see you then!'  
The door clicked closed and Demyx let a breath out he did not know he was holding in.  
He jumped onto the bed and let himself fall into the softness and close his eyes.  
_Maybe Axel was right… Maybe this won't be so bad after all… _

A few hours later Demyx made his way to the lobby and dialled Zexion's number he answered almost immediately making Demyx jump.  
'Ah bonjour mon ami! Are you rested up and ready to go?'  
'Yeah, I'm good to go!'  
'Magnifique! I'll be there in a few minutes!'

Zexion walked into the lobby dressed in a white button up shirt, navy cropped trousers and an award-winning grin plastered across his face he took in Demyx's straight face and pulled an exaggerated grimace.  
'We're going to explore Paris! Be excited!'  
Demyx couldn't help but smile.  
'That's the spirit!'  
They walked outside and climbed into Zexion's car, he started the engine and said suddenly.  
'Prepare yourself, this city tends to change people.'  
Demyx swore he saw his eyes sparkle before they shot off down the road.


End file.
